An Overview of the Townsville North Queensland DAMA
The labour agreement visa under the Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) allows individuals to access a labour agreement between the Australian government and the Townsville Enterprise. If you are in the area of Townsville, North Queensland, this may be a possible permanent residency (PR) visa pathway. Sponsoring employers and visa applicants can access the labour agreement through the following visa subclasses:
What Are the Labour Agreements for Townsville North Queensland?
The Townsville North Queensland (TNQ) DAMA is a 5-year employer-sponsored visa program in providing local businesses and the Australia Government to find suitable skilled workers to address labour shortages, with additional flexibility not available through the standard skilled visa programs.
The TNQ's DAMA includes the following of primary towns and its postcodes:
City of Townsville: 4810
Burdekin Shire
Ayr: 4807
Home Hill: 4806
Brandon: 4808
Charters Towers: 4820
Shire of Hinchinbrook
Ingham: 4850
Mount Isa: 4825
Cloncurry: 4824
McKinlay: 4823
Richmond: 4822
Shire of Flinders
Hughenden: 4821
The applicant must live and work in the designated area above-mentioned as soon as they are sponsored under the labour agreement pathway.
Businesses in the TNQ region who wish to sponsor skilled workers through a labour agreement for skilled workers:
The business must operate for at least 12 months and have no adverse information.
The employers will need to first apply for an endorsement through the Designated Area Representative (DAR) to access for a labour agreement.
The TNQ DAR is through the Townsville Enterprise.
Employers can apply for endorsement and request a Labour Agreement without needing to have an identified prospective worker.
There is a small fee to apply for an endorsement, this fee is dependent by the size of business and number of positions requested. Townsville Enterprise membership must be current and held by the employing entity.
Townsville Enterprise Endorsement fee 2025
The labour agreement can be varied at any time if you wish to access new overseas workers, further concessions, or a new nominated occupation.
The employer to obtain their labour agreement that is valid for up to 5 years.
Ensure that the Labour Market Testing (LMT) has been conducted for a minimum of 28 days.
Employers must also show a genuine need for the nominated position.
Nominate a Visa Applicant
The TNQ DAMA has 209 occupations that reflect skilled and semi-skilled roles required in the region.
There are some concessions for the TNQ DAMA that have applied for, which are:
Age concession of 50 - 55 years old, depending on the occupation.
Up to 55 years old for skill level 1-4 occupations;
Up to 50 years old for skill level 5 occupations
English concessions are available for certain occupations, unless registration or licensing requires a higher level of English, then the higher level of English applies:
SID (SC482) and SESR (SC494): overall score of IELTS 5.0 equivalent, with no minimum band score.
ENS (SC186): average score of IELTS 5.0 with no band less than IELTS 4.0 equivalent.
CSIT (previously known as TSMIT) concession is available for some occupations.
‘Reduced TSMIT’, which is 10% less than the standard TSMIT amount.
Permanent Residence (PR) pathway may be available through the ENS (SC 186) visa.
How Can Agape Henry Crux Help
If you have questions on the labour agreement visa program for Townsville North Queensland DAMA, speak with one of our immigration lawyers for professional guidance from Agape Henry Crux. The team works with our Accredited Specialists in Immigration Law, who specialise in handling highly complex matters. You can schedule an appointment with one of our lawyers to seek professional advice by calling 02-8310 5230 or emailing us at info@ahclawyers.com.
We speak fluent English, Mandarin and Cantonese. We can also help you arrange an interpreter if this isn't your language.
This article/presentation (“publication”) does not deal extensively with important topics or changes in law and is not intended to be relied upon as a substitute for legal or other advice that may be relevant to the reader's specific circumstances. If you find this publication of interest and would like to know more or wish to obtain legal advice relevant to your circumstances, please contact our office.
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